Series 1 - Personal Life & Family

Title

Series 1 - Personal Life & Family

Description

Born in 1918, Nathaniel Colley grew up in Snow Hill, Alabama. He met Sacramento-raised Jerlean Jackson while they were attending Tuskegee Institute, and the two married in 1942. Nathaniel served in the United States Army between 1943 and 1946, entering as a Private and leaving with the rank of Captain. Upon graduating from Yale Law School in 1948, Nathaniel moved to Sacramento, California with his wife and two infant daughters.

Jerlean was the “heart and soul” of Nathaniel’s work. A behind-the-scenes leader, she cared for their five children – four girls and a boy – and was her husband’s advisor, partner, and inspiration. Mr. and Mrs. Colley enjoyed traveling, often mixing work and recreation. They traveled the world together, visiting South America, China, Africa, Europe and the former Soviet Union.